GIRLS LACROSSE: Owen J. Roberts tops Pottstown on Senior Night

BUCKTOWN — The Owen J. Roberts girls lacrosse team has focused on perfecting the basics this year and that was certainly evident in Monday night’s Pioneer Athletic Conference inter-divisional match against Pottstown. The Wildcats excelled in winning draws, passing and catching the ball, and playing defense in the midfield and ran away to a 19-4 win on Senior Night at Wildcat North Field.

Jess Harsch scored six and Devin Hassinger five for OJR (7-2, 9-2), which is in a four-way battle for the two playoff berths from the Liberty Division, and Kelsey Shumaker put in all four goals for the Frontier Division leader Trojans.

The hosts went on top 61 seconds into the contest when junior Hassinger, who recently scored her 100th career goal, notched another one off a pass from Harsch. Katie Dempsey scored less than a minute later for the Wildcats and Hassinger scored again off a pass from Jordyn Shoemaker for a 3-0 lead 2:16 into the match.

Then Shumaker got the visitors on the board off a free position, but OJR ripped off seven in a row in a span of less than 10 minutes to take control on the way to a 12-2 advantage at the half.

During that stretch the Wildcats showed their command of the basics as they frequently moved the ball up the field quickly all the way from goalkeeper Devon Hennessey to the attackers with pinpoint passes while the defense made it difficult for the Trojans to get the ball out of their own end.

“They’ve worked really hard from the beginning of the season focusing on a few simple concepts,” said Stone. “Just the basics, nothing fancy. In the midfield, lots of double and triple-teaming and using the sideline to gain possession.”

“They are demonstrating the same level of skill that Boyertown and Spring-Ford have,” Trojan coach Andy Bachman said concerning the Wildcats. “Really fast feet, balanced hands, able to throw and catch. It’s good to see that they’re finally where they should be.”

Harsch scored three times and Hassinger twice in the first 13 minutes of the second half to boost the lead to 17-2 before Shumaker broke OJR’s second string of seven goals with two straight of her own.

And while the Wildcats showed that their work in practice had paid off, Bachman thought that his team did not do the same.

“How do you fix something that you’ve demonstrated a thousand times before, but couldn’t do tonight?” he asked, while pointing out his team’s inability to pass and catch the ball the way it had in practice and pre-game warmups. “That’s the question they need to answer. We (won) two draws and that killed us. But they (the Wildcats) are fast and skilled.”

“Just good and clean and lots of finesse,” said Stone. “Lots of speed and keeping the ball in the air.”

Seniors scored 11 of the Wildcat goals and also added nine assists.

“Our seniors are a great group of leaders,” Stone added. “And they’ve brought the young talent in a nice direction.”

Next, OJR will travel to defending league champion and division leader Boyertown on Wednesday and also has matches remaining against Liberty Division playoff contenders Spring-Ford and Methacton.

“It’s going to be tough,” said Stone. “We’re just trying to improve our situation from last time. We have some tough competition ahead, but it’s a nice way to wrap up the season.”

NOTESShoemaker, Gabbie Delgatto, and Kerry Huzzard each scored twice for OJR and Dempsey and Molly Minahan scored one each. … Harsch, Minahan, and Morgan Stone each registered three assists for the winners, Delgatto had two, and Dempsey and Maddie Gebert one apiece. … Hennessey had seven saves. … Three of Shumaker’s scores were off free positions and the other off a pass from behind the net from Alexis Hewlett.